''The Offering'' ( ca, L'ofrena, links=no) is a 2020 Spanish thriller drama film directed by Ventura Durall which stars Anna Alarcón,

Alex Brendemühl Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...

, and

Verónica Echegui Verónica Fernández Echegaray (born 16 June 1983), known professionally as Verónica Echegui, is a Spanish actress. Since making her feature film debut as the title character of the 2006 drama '' My Name Is Juani'' she has featured in films s ...

alongside Pablo Molinero, Josh Climent, and Claudia Riera. It is primarily shot in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

Plot

A married

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

(Violeta) meets with a patient (Rita), a

porn actress A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts in video that is usually characterized as a pornographic movie. Such videos tend to be made in a number of dis ...

who was in a relationship with Jan, Violeta's childhood flirt who marked her life. Rita reveals Violeta that Jan is still obsessed with her after decades, willing to amend his past mistakes with Violeta. The plot features two timelines, one in the present time, and a past one featuring young Violeta and Jan.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was penned by Ventura Durall alongside , Sandra Beltrán, and

Clara Roquet Clara Roquet (born 1988) is a Spanish filmmaker from Catalonia. Biography Roquet was born in 1988. Reported birthplaces include Malla, Vic, and Barcelona. She studied at the Pompeu Fabra University and Columbia University. She made her writing ...

. The film is a Nanouk Films, Fasten Films, Suica Films and Bord Cadre Films production, with funding from ICAA, , and IVAC, and in association with TV3. It was shot in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and the

Valencia region The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

(including the

Serra d'Irta Serra d'Irta (, es, Sierra de Irta) is an 18.8 km long mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is Pico Campanelles (573 m). Location The Serra d'Irta stretches in a northeast-southwest ...

Sagunto Sagunto ( ca-valencia, Sagunt) is a municipality of Spain, located in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community. It belongs to the modern fertile ''comarca'' of Camp de Morvedre. It is located c. 30 km north of the city of Valencia, cl ...

, and Buñol).

Release

The film was presented at the 23rd

Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Film Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since 2017, ...

on 23 August 2020. Distributed by Alfa Pictures, it was theatrically released in Spain on 18 September 2020.

Reception

Jordi Batlle Caminal of ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó a ...

'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, highlighting an "extremely committed" Echegui, playing a "complex and difficult character", as the best thing about the film, while citing the lack of plausibility in some of the characters' attitudes as a negative point. Beatriz Martínez of ''

El Periódico de Catalunya ''El Periódico de Catalunya'' (, ), also simply known as ''El Periódico'', is a morning daily newspaper based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The paper publishes separate daily editions in Spanish and in Catalan. The two editions combined sell ...

'' rated ''The Offering'' 3 out of 5 stars, considering that the film (featuring an intensity "bordering on Greek-tragedy levels" and a group of actors "working their tails off") is worth watching insofar the viewer be able to get involved in the depicted "swirl of obsessions and guilt", even though the experience may be erratic. Phil Hoad of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, lamenting that the "torrid and sophisticated story", "wrapped in Hitchcockian shadow, fascinated by questions of identity, desire and time" is limited by a "humdrum televisual ambience that's a bit unsatisfying". Elsa Fernández-Santos of ''

El País ''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...

'' assessed that despite some flashes and a "certain suspense in its erotic voltage", everything in the film is subject to its "absurd writing". Rubén Romero Santos of ''

Cinemanía ''Cinemanía'' is a Spanish language monthly film magazine based in Madrid, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)( ...

'' rated the film 3½ out of 5 stars, considering that, despite its beginning, the film veers towards a more conventional drama about the need for forgiveness, with the ability to create an unhealthy tension being the film's most relevant feature alongside the "magnetic" performance by Riera.

Accolades

, - , rowspan = "4" align = "center" , 2021 , , rowspan = "4" , 13th Gaudí Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Film , , , , rowspan = "4" , , - , Best Actress , , Anna Alarcón , , , - , Best Actor , , Alex Brendemühl , , , - , Best Supporting Actress , , Verónica Echegui , ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Offering 2020 thriller films 2020 films 2020s Catalan-language films Spanish thriller films Films shot in Barcelona Films shot in the province of Valencia 2020s Spanish films